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Amicable Exes
So, people who break up must indefinitely hate each other, right? Wrong again! Increasingly common in media are situations where a divorced couple still get along for the most part and in many cases still care about each other even though they're no longer together. In many cases the divorce happened because of distance, circumstance or the simple fact that people change rather than infidelity, betrayal or other serious problems, and the fact that they got divorced is treated as a fact of life rather than due to a flaw in the people. Both parties also generally agree that it was for the best for both of them. It's also pretty common for couples who broke up because of Incompatible Orientation or who were each other's Last Het Romance to end up this way. If there are children from the marriage, they are shared without much complaint and the amicability of the parents can often be interpreted as being partly for their sake. As such, this tends to show up in children's cartoons, perhaps as an attempt to counter the stereotype of the children of divorced parents being largely unhappy. May involve a Visit by Divorced Dad that will usually go well, and for the most part any Divorce Assets Conflicts are avoided or settled reasonably. Examples *Dragon Ball Z: Bulma and Yamcha seem to have remained fairly good friends after their breakup, in spite of the fact that Bulma's new love interest is a former villain... who was indirectly responsible for Yamcha's death (he got better) while they were still dating. Dragon Ball Z Abridged actually makes this the reason for the breakup and hookup. *Hank Pym and his wife Janet of The Avengers after their rough divorce got along very well and even had romantic relations before Janet's death. *Superman: Clark Kent and Lana Lang have been great friends after their time as high school sweethearts. *In Night at the Museum, Ben Stiller's character and his ex-wife are quite friendly with each other (almost with a sibling-like relationship) and have no trouble with both of them taking care of their son. *The conclusion of Mrs. Doubtfire shows Miranda and Daniel coming to terms with their divorce and ending their custody dispute. This trope is discussed in the closing monologue. *In The Santa Clause, Scott Calvin and his ex-wife came to terms with their divorce and sharing custody of their son Charlie, as well as Scott being the new Santa Claus. In the sequels he grows close to Lucy, his ex's daughter with her new husband, who even calls him "Uncle Scott." *In Doctor Strange (2016) Stephen and Christine work together and used to be lovers prior to the start of the film, leading Christine to now follow "The Strange Rule" and not date colleagues, but the two still clearly have feelings for each other and she attempts to help him through his depression after a car accident leaves him unable to use his hands to perform surgery, at least until he pushes her away in an angry outburst and goes off to Nepal searching for a cure. Once they're reunited she gives him a kiss on the lips when he says he has to leave for good and both are clearly torn by his having to go, but the damage has been done already and they don't end up back together. *In The Suite Life of Zack and Cody, Zack and Cody's divorced parents are on good terms. Category:About Heroes